In general, a semiconductor chip (also called integrated circuit, IC, chip, or microchip) may be processed in semiconductor technology on and/or in a substrate (or a wafer or a carrier). The substrate usually includes a plurality of semiconductor chips, which are processed in corresponding regions of the wafer. A completely processed semiconductor chip includes several electrical circuit components interconnected with each other to perform computing or storage operations. For fabricating such electrical circuit components, specific dielectric layers are implemented into the semiconductor chip, which later, during operation of the completely processed semiconductor chip, have to withstand high electrical fields. These dielectric layers have to fulfill high quality standards, as their reliability in withstanding electrical fields may influence the functionality of the electrical components operated in the completely processed semiconductor. A deficient dielectric layer may cause a dielectric breakdown in an electrical component resulting in potential malfunction of the corresponding semiconductor chip.
To detect semiconductor chips with a deficient dielectric layer or to evaluate the reliability of electrical circuit components, testing procedures are applied to the semiconductor chips at various stages during processing in semiconductor technology. However, conventional testing procedures are limited in their applicability (dependent on the particular semiconductor technology utilized) leading to undetected deficiencies in semiconductor chips or in electrical devices fabricated therefrom. The improvement of conventional testing procedures may be limited, requires complex steps and/or requires complex testing equipment and therefore is time and cost consuming.